


Of Teas and Spirits

by SummerStormFlower



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Adventure, Aged-Up Character(s), Ancient History, Big Brothers, Brotherly Love, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Mystery, Protective Louie Duck, Protective Siblings, Spirits, and he’ll do it with WORDS Painful WORDS, because Louie will totally rip your head off if you hurt his brothers, possibly, well magical tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23151946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerStormFlower/pseuds/SummerStormFlower
Summary: The Duck bros go on an adventure! But things kinda go downhill when Dewey and Louie won’t stop fighting. When something happens to Huey though, they manage to call a truce. Now, the question is, will they be able to save Huey?
Relationships: Dewey Duck & Huey Duck & Louie Duck
Comments: 4
Kudos: 97





	Of Teas and Spirits

Huey should’ve heard the shouting before he walked through the door. It was as loud as striking thunder and Huey usually sensed when his brothers were fighting. But in his excitement, he hadn’t connected the dots. 

He burst into their shared room, big grin on his face and eyes sparkling. 

“Guys, we’re going on an adventure!” he announced.

“You have no regard for my feelings!”

“Me? You should try looking in a mirror sometime!”

Dewey and Louie were neck to neck, faces contorted in vicious, ugly rage. Louie’s hoodie pocket was bunched up in his fists, and Dewey’s were tense at his sides. They looked seconds away from attacking each other. 

Huey’s grin fell, as he looked cautiously between them. “Uh, guys?”

“I’m not the one who takes your stuff without permission and then breaks it!” Dewey barked, fire on his tongue. 

“Don’t act all high and mighty! You broke my sewing machine just last week!” Louie shot back, eyes full of venom. 

“Guys?” Huey’s voice was hesitant, not wanting to yell and risk getting caught up in the argument too. Three-way fights were extremely messy.

“That was an accident!” Dewey exclaimed indignantly. 

Louie scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Oh sure it was.”

“Guys?” Huey tried again, but was ignored. 

“This isn’t about your stupid sewing machine, okay!”

Louie gasped. “It’s not stupid! You’re stupid!”

“Guys?”

“I am so SICK of you blaming me for everything!” Dewey’s face was red with anger, teeth gritted, and fists clenched so tight his fingers were turning white. 

“Well, I’m sick of YOU!” Louie screamed.

Huey’s eyes widened.

Dewey flinched back, the colour draining from his face and hurt flashed through his eyes. 

Louie’s angry expression dissolved, guilt seeping into his features as he realized what he’d just said. He looked like he was about to take it all back and apologize, but then Dewey’s face twisted in a snarl again. 

“You’re such a jerk!” he shouted, anger and hurt mixing together. Then he ran out of the room. 

For a moment Louie looked like he was about to go after him, but thought better of it. It was never a good idea to approach Dewey right after an argument. He needed time alone with his emotions. Louie sighed heavily and went in the opposite direction, head hung in sadness. 

Huey was left by himself in the room. He looked down at the book in his hands. 

Book title: The Spirit of Harmony

How ironic. 

-

They were still going on Huey’s adventure. Last week, Dewey had begged Huey to let him choose a location. Despite it being his turn, Huey had agreed.

He had to; it was the only way to get Dewey off his leg.

Since they turned sixteen, they’d been allowed to go on adventures by themselves more and more. It was a freedom they all loved—even Louie, although he’d never admit it. 

Webby normally went with them, but she was sick with the flu this time. As soon as she got better, Louie was going to give her his turn and let her choose the next adventure. 

“Will they be okay?” Webby asked. The poor girl’s voice was laced with sickness and she stood in the doorway with her blanket wrapped around her. 

Huey looked at Dewey and Louie, where they were loading the back of Uncle Donald’s old crappy car with their supplies. It was clear they were giving each other the cold shoulder. They didn’t even look at each other. 

“They’ll be fine,” Huey reassured. He’d seen them fight—really fight—countless times before and in the end, they always patched things up. It just took some time. 

“Are you sure?” Webby asked again, brow furrowed in concern. She hated it whenever there was conflict between them, fearing for the worst every time. As an only child, she didn’t understand that not every fight they had was the end of the world. 

“Don’t worry. Once they get swept up in the adventure, they’ll forget why they’re even angry,” Huey said with a cheerful smile. 

“HEY, that’s fragile! You can’t just throw it!”

“Why? Are any of MY things in there, you thief?!”

Dewey and Louie were at it again, shoving and pushing at each other, anger clearly not forgotten. 

Webby gave Huey a look. 

Huey rolled his eyes and sighed. He loved his brothers, but honestly they had such bad timing. 

Man, he was not looking forward to the car ride. 

-

“—according to the legends, the Spirit of Harmony entrusted his greatest treasure to a Guardian. Oh, that’s a magical entity which lives for as long as they are assigned to their task. Nobody knows what the Guardian looks like or where the treasure is,” Huey explained. Dewey and Louie hadn’t said a word in hours and Huey was trying to fill the silence with his babbling. “And I intend to find out!” he exclaimed with a happy smile, hoping his energy would breathe some life into the atmosphere. 

“What even is the treasure?” Louie asked from the backseat, his arms crossed. 

“I’m not sure,” responded Huey, glancing briefly at his brother in the rear view mirror. “That part of the text was too smudged to translate. All I could understand was that it’s something that makes you feel peace.”

Louie sighed. “Probably not real treasure.”

“Real treasure is knowledge,” Huey told him. 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Louie muttered, turning his phone on. He groaned when there was no signal. 

Huey tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He glanced at Dewey, who was watching the fields and ponds fly by with a scowl. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Louie trying to lay down with his seatbelt still on. 

“Hey, uh... wanna sing a song?” Huey asked timidly. 

“No.”

“Not really.”

Huey couldn’t help but pout a little. “But we always sing on road trips!”

“Well not this time,” Dewey and Louie quipped at the same time. 

That was the end of all conversation, much to Huey’s disappointment. 

-

The village of Suimin was even more breathtaking than Huey thought it would be. Green fields, gardens, and hills dotted with flowers surrounded it. The village was made up of busy marketplaces and smiling people, red lanterns and shrines adding to the beauty. All sorts of decorations and various plants lined the pathways, the smell of fruits and veggies wafting in the air. 

Huey was amazed. 

“Wow, this is just like Chinatown! Remember when Uncle Donald took us there for the holidays?” he asked, turning to his brothers. His smile fell when he saw the frowns on their faces. Not even the wonder of their lovely destination lifted their sour moods. 

“Yeah,” Louie muttered, looking down at his phone. His frown deepened when there was still no signal. 

“So?” Dewey said grumpily, crossing his arms and looking at his shoes. 

Huey swallowed, feeling patronized and a little hurt. He tried not to take their comments to heart though, knowing that they didn’t mean them. 

“Alright, who’s ready to start searching?” Huey took his bag off his shoulder and crouched down. 

“If we don’t know what the treasure looks like, how are we supposed to look for it?” Louie asked, bending his knees. 

“Because of this!” Huey pulled out his book, flipping it open to a page of an image. 

“What is that?” Dewey asked, squinting as if that’d help him make out the scribbles. 

“It’s the emblem of the Spirit of Harmony,” Huey explained, “if we find this, we’ll surely find the treasure!” he proclaimed, balling his hand in a determined fist. 

“Yeah, but what is it?” Louie asked, leaning in to get a closer look at the symbol. 

“Maybe... a bowl?” Dewey said uncertainly, squinting harder. 

“Actually, I think it’s a plate,” said Louie with a satisfied nod. 

“No way,” Dewey disagreed, “It’s either a bowl or something else.”

Louie glared. “Plate.”

Dewey blinked, then glared back. “Bowl.”

“Plate.”

“Bowl.”

“Plate!”

“Bowl!”

“I thought it was a teacup,” Huey interrupted quickly. He held his breath as his brothers looked at the emblem again, hoping they wouldn’t start yelling at each other. 

“I guess.”

“Yeah, I see it now.”

Huey sighed in relief. At least they were able to agree on something. 

-

Louie groaned, dragging his feet behind him. “Huey, I’m tiiiired,” he whined, “Can’t we rest?”

Huey and Dewey turned to him, one with an expression of concern and one with an a scowl. 

“It’s hardly been half an hour, Louie,” Huey told him. 

“But my legs aren’t as strong as yours!”

Dewey scoffed quietly, “More like your posture.”

Louie heard him and gasped. He pointed at Dewey accusingly. “Are you calling me fat?!”

“What?” Huey frowned, “That’s not what posture means,” he said. However, his words were ignored. 

“Maybe the reason you get tired so easily is because you’re weak!” said Dewey. 

“I am not! I’m just as strong as you!” Louie claimed.

“Oh yeah? Prove it. Beat me in an arm wrestling match.”

“That’s not fair! You work out!”

“Point. Proven.”

“Point proven, my—“

“Guys, seriously,” Huey interrupted, placing himself in between his brothers, “We don’t have time for this. We should be looking for the emblem.”

“You know, we might find it quicker if we split up,” Dewey spat. 

Huey’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean that!” he pleaded desperately. But one look at Dewey told Huey how serious he was. 

“I agree!” Louie bit back. And his face looked like it was etched in a permanent angry glare. 

Then they were storming off down different paths, leaving Huey all by himself. 

“But—!” he cried out, stopping himself when he realized they wouldn’t listen to him. “But we’re supposed to do it together,” he mumbled, hanging his head sadly. He knew it wasn’t him they were mad at, but it hurt to be pushed aside. 

Like he didn’t matter.

“It’s never fun being the odd one out, huh?” spoke a voice. 

Huey turned around. There was a little outdoor tea shop with all sorts of different tea bags and decorative cups. Behind the wooden counter, was a lady. 

She smiled kindly. “I couldn’t help but overhear,” she said apologetically. 

Huey sighed. “No, it’s not fun,” he replied, “but there’s nothing I can do. I can’t just make them stop arguing.”

Dewey and Louie butted heads a lot, but nothing like this. They knew what was okay and what crossed the line. They knew what really hurt each other and there was this unspoken rule to never use that against one another. 

The only reason Louie had crossed the line was because he was mad. He didn’t mean it. Huey knew he felt bad about it, but he wanted Dewey to apologize first since he was the one who’d made him mad.

And Dewey wanted Louie to apologize first because his words had really cut. And it especially hurt coming from Louie, who could turn his words into poisonous snakes. 

Huey had been on the receiving end of Louie’s lethal tongue before. He knew it didn’t feel good. 

“Not even a family trip has lessened the tension?” asked the lady. She had warm brown eyes that made Huey want to bare all his heart to her. 

“I thought a fun adventure would bring them together, but it’s only pushed them further apart,” Huey explained. He’d been looking forward to this; the thrill of a mystery, the rush of adrenaline, how it felt to work together. 

But now all he felt was lonely. 

Huey sighed, his heart sinking. “Maybe we shouldn’t have come.”

“You poor dear,” the lady said sympathetically, “You need some tea. On the house.” She ducked below the counter. 

Huey smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

The lady smiled back.

Huey watched her as she made the tea. It was like watching her hands dance and he noticed that she had rings on each of her fingers. The colourful metals reflected the sunlight, showing off their unique designs. 

It looked and smelled delicious when she handed him the cup. He blew on it gently, then took a sip. The liquid’s warmth instantly spread through his body. And it tasted sweet!

“Thank you. This is very good!” Huey said, taking another sip. He was a sucker for sweet things. 

“I’m glad you like it,” said the tea lady. Then she leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. “Say, out of curiosity, where did you learn about the Spirit of Harmony?” she asked. 

“Oh, from this book I found in...” Huey undid the button on his bag before he paused. “Wait...” he frowned at the Tea Lady, “how do you know about the Spirit of Harmony?”

The Tea Lady simply smiled. Except this time, it didn’t look so kind. Her brown eyes no longer felt so warm, sending dreadful chills up Huey’s bones. 

Crap. Something was wrong. 

At that moment, Huey’s vision blurred and his feet staggered. He was suddenly drowsy, despite being wide awake minutes ago. He couldn’t control his body. He couldn’t think straight. His eyelids were falling closed. 

Something was terribly wrong.

The Tea Lady’s rings glittered in the sun again. Their designs looked a lot—too much—like the emblem in the book.

Huey dropped the teacup.

Then everything went black.   
_________________________

Dewey was the first to return to the spot where they’d split up. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, leaning against a tree with a tired sigh. It was that time of day—when the sun was at its hottest and bared down over the land. 

Eventually, he spotted Louie coming back as well. Dewey quickly looked away. 

It wasn’t that he liked being mad at Louie. He hated the sour taste in his mouth and the knot in his stomach that came with his anger whenever it was directed at one of his brothers. 

When they were little and got into fights, Uncle Donald would sit them down and make them sort through their feelings. He’d tell them it was okay to feel angry, but not to push each other away. Because if you kept on pushing and pushing, then one day, you’d never be able to go back to the way things used to be. 

And normally, Dewey was very quick to forgive, especially in regards to Louie, who was sensitive. 

But it was different this time. Dewey didn’t doubt that Louie felt guilty—he was sure he did—but he wanted to hear it. He wanted Louie to tell him that he didn’t mean it. He wanted Louie to tell him that he was valued. 

Because sometimes Dewey had a hard time remembering that, and it didn’t help when your little brother said he was sick of you.

“Did you find it?” Louie asked quietly, hesitantly leaning against the tree beside him. 

Dewey shook his head. “Did you?” he asked. 

Louie also shook his head. 

...It was so awkward, it was painful. 

Dewey felt Louie’s eyes on him. He cleared his throat, and for a second, Dewey thought he was about to apologize. 

“Maybe Huey’s having better luck,” was all he said though. 

Dewey sagged sadly. “Maybe,” he agreed. 

Louie stared intently at his shoes, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pocket. 

Then Dewey frowned. “Wait, where is Huey?” 

Louie looked up, his eyes raking over the area. Dewey looked around the tree, scanning the opposite side, while Louie took out his phone and held it up. 

“Dammit,” he grunted when he still couldn’t get a signal. 

Dewey felt a rock drop in his stomach. 

Louie looked at him worriedly and Dewey knew he felt the same. 

“Huey!”

“Huey!”

“Huey, where are you?”

They both started calling at the same time. 

-

Dewey felt like an idiot. He’d been so caught up in his anger towards one brother, he’d forgotten about the other. He supposed that was what happened sometimes because there were three of them, but that didn’t make it fair. And it was no excuse. 

Huey had tried to mediate between him and Louie, so they could all have fun. But Dewey hadn’t listened. He knew how much Huey hated it when no one listened to him; it was like Dewey’s hate of being overlooked. 

And because of it, none of them had had any fun. 

They’d probably made Huey lonely. 

Guilt weighed heavy inside Dewey’s chest, and worry spiked through him the longer they went not knowing where their older brother was. 

Huey was missing. And they had no idea why. 

Dewey tried not to think about the why too much. 

“Huey!” he called out to all the twists and turns, receiving a look every now and then from random passersby. Dewey didn’t care, he just shouted louder. “Huey!” 

Huey never answered. That made Dewey’s stomach roll around. 

“Huey!” Desperation seeped into his voice and he blinked rapidly. 

He hadn’t felt like this since he was seven and he lost Huey in the park. Some older kids were picking on him, and Dewey was all alone, and didn’t know what to do, and, as hard as he tried to deny it, he was scared. He didn’t know where his big brother was and he was scared. 

But then, his big brother was there, placing himself between him and danger. And that was something Dewey, who breathed danger and adrenaline like oxygen, didn’t need often. So it meant a lot when Huey protected him and Dewey truly needed it. 

Dewey yearned for Huey to pop out of the shadows, like he had all those years ago, and hug Dewey close, so his heart would stop racing. 

“Do you think he’s okay?” a shaky voice then asked. 

Dewey turned to Louie. Louie’s shoulders were shaking, he had his hands stuffed deep inside his hoodie, and his bottom lip was wobbling. That was when Dewey’s anger towards him from earlier vanished, like storm clouds clearing from the sky. Because Dewey was a big brother too, and when the instinct poked out of him, it powered all of his actions. 

“What if something happened to him?” Louie asked fearfully, and this side of him very rarely came out, so when it did, it was extremely strong. “What if he’s hurt? What if—“

Dewey squeezed Louie’s arm, gulping down his own fear because Louie was scared and he had to be brave for him. 

“We’ll find him,” Dewey said with conviction. 

Louie’s trembling lessened a little and he nodded at Dewey. 

Suddenly, a female voice asked, “Are you looking for someone?” 

Dewey and Louie turned and there was a lady in front of an outdoor tea shop. She had a kind smile and warm brown eyes.

“We’re looking for our brother,” Dewey replied, “Have you seen him?”

The Tea Lady tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Would he happen to look like you two, except in red?”

Dewey and Louie smiled hopefully at each other. They had a lead. 

“Yes, that’s him,” Louie said, “Do you know where he is?”

“Well,” the Tea Lady began, “he said he was looking for the treasure of the Spirit of Harmony. He may have gone to the Maze of Harmony.”

“The Maze of Harmony?” Dewey frowned. 

“They say that’s where the treasure lies,” the Tea Lady explained, twirling a strand of dark hair around her finger. 

“How do we get there?” Louie asked. 

“Follow the mist,” replied the Tea Lady, pointing towards a cloud of fog just a little beyond the village. 

A mysterious maze covered in ominous mist. Dewey shuddered. Great. Just great. 

“It’s a bit a journey. Allow me to send some tea with you,” said the Tea Lady, ducking below the counter and grabbing two teacups, teabags, and a small bottle of water. 

“Thank you,” Dewey said gratefully, letting the woman place the objects in his backpack. 

“Let’s hurry. The sun is setting,” Louie told him.

Dewey nodded, zipping up his backpack.

“Beware of the Harmonious Sleep,” the Tea Lady called. 

“What’s the Harmonious Sleep?”

Dewey and Louie turned around to ask the Tea Lady, but she and her tea shop were suddenly gone. 

“Where’d she go?” Louie asked nervously. 

Apprehension swelled up in Dewey’s gut. But he pushed it down. 

“Forget her,” he said, giving Louie a little push forward. 

Maybe listening to disappearing tea ladies wasn’t such a good idea, but they didn’t have much of a choice; their brother was on the line. 

-

The whole area was shrouded in mist when they arrived at the front of the maze. Dewey could still see his hand in front of his face, but trying to find the sky was a lot harder. 

He stuck close to Louie, not wanting to lose him. 

“Huey wouldn’t go in there alone. He’s not stupid,” Louie said.

And Dewey knew that. He knew Huey. And he doubted that Huey would’ve even told the Tea Lady about the details of their adventure in the first place. 

But this was all they had. 

“Only one way to find out,” Dewey replied, taking a deep breath, and plunging deeper into the mist. 

“What about that ‘Harmonious Sleep’ thing?” Louie asked, his features wary, but he followed Dewey without hesitation. “What does that even mean?”

Dewey shrugged. “Just try not to fall asleep, I guess.”

-

Louie was lagging behind. They’d been on their feet for more than an hour, so it was no surprise. 

Dewey turned to him. “How about we stop to rest?”

Louie shook his head. “No. I’m fine,” he said stubbornly, continuing his trek. 

Dewey followed him quickly. The further into the Maze they’d gone, the thicker the fog had gotten. 

“Come on,” Dewey tried again, grabbing his brother’s arm, “I’m tired.”

He was pretty sure Louie knew he was lying, but Louie’s shoulders slumped tiredly and he relented anyways. 

They sat down near some berry bush and Louie leaned into his side. Dewey let him. 

“Thirsty?” he asked after a moment. 

Louie nodded, so he shrugged off his backpack and took out the tea. He wasn’t sure how good tea tasted with little preparation, but he made it anyway. He poured the teabags and water into the teacups and mixed them until they were both a rosy red. 

He handed one to Louie. 

However, when the smell hit his nose, Louie scowled. “Never mind. That smells way too sweet,” he proclaimed. 

Dewey shrugged and drank from his own cup. Yuck. It was sweet. The kind of ‘way-too-sweet’ Huey liked. 

“Hey Dewey,” Louie then said quietly. 

Dewey looked at him. “Yeah?”

Louie stared at the ground. He mumbled something, but Dewey didn’t hear it. 

“What was that?” he asked, leaning forward. 

Louie seemed embarrassed. He opened his mouth a few times to repeat what he’d said, but then his face turned red and he huffed, “Nothing...”

Dewey blinked, confused. However, he chose not to press. Sometimes Louie needed time before he could speak. If it was important, he would bring it up later. 

Dewey gulped down the rest of his tea bitterly, then stood up. “Ready?”

Louie nodded and stood up as well, then they started walking again. 

But then something felt wrong. 

Dewey stumbled, a wave of exhaustion washing over him. He probably would’ve hit the ground, had Louie not grabbed his arm just in time. 

“You okay?” Louie asked worriedly, helping Dewey steady himself. 

Dewey dragged his hand down his beak, feeling the beginnings of a headache. “I’m... I’m fine,” he reassured, standing up straight. 

Louie hesitated at first, but slowly let go of him. 

Dewey took a step forward. 

“Actually, no I’m not,” he quickly said before he fell over again. 

Louie rushed to catch him and Dewey went limp in his grasp. He couldn’t feel his legs anymore. His head hurt and his vision was blurring. 

This must’ve been that Harmonious Sleep the Tea Lady mentioned. 

It didn’t feel very harmonious. Or even nice. 

Louie was talking, eyes wild with fear, but Dewey’s ears were ringing and he couldn’t hear him. He fought to keep his eyes open. Darkness was clouding his mind and it hurt to stay awake. 

“—please!”

Dewey focused as hard as he could on Louie’s fading face, the broken bits of his panicked voice he managed to catch. Dewey felt bad for worrying him, but there was nothing he could do. 

“—I’m sorry! I could never—sick of you! You’re—brother—drive me insane, but—love you!”

Louie was shaking him, looking like he was on the verge of tears. 

Dewey wanted to respond; say he was sorry too, that he forgave Louie, and he loved him back. But everything was darkening, so he tried to give Louie a smile instead before it all turned black. 

-

“Dewey? Dewey!” Louie shouted, voice cracking. Dewey had gone completely limp in his arms, forcing Louie to drop to his knees. 

He shook his brother by the shoulders. 

“C’mon, wake up! Wake up!” he begged, sniffling as he felt tears well up in his eyes. 

Dewey didn’t wake up.

“No! Please, Dewford, please!” Louie tried again, the tears overflowing, “I-I can’t... lose you and Huey.”

The thought of never having either of his brothers to stand by his side when he needed them most. The thought of them never teasing him ever again. The thought of never waking up to Huey cooking breakfast and Dewey’s horrendous singing...

Scared Louie to death. A life without Huey and Dewey wasn’t life at all. 

Dewey still didn’t wake up. 

Louie breathed shakily, looking around for something; a hint, a clue, anything that’d tell him how to fix things, how to get both his brothers back. 

It took him awhile. 

He never worked well when his heart was going haywire. But he eventually figured it out. 

Dewey fell asleep after drinking the tea. 

Louie held Dewey’s head to his chest, finding comfort in the sound of Dewey’s snores. He breathed in and out slowly, as his heart calmed down and his mind put the pieces together. 

After that, it wasn’t hard to see all the angles. 

-

Louie wasn’t strong, so it was hard to maneuver Dewey onto his back and even harder to carry him through the Maze. Hell would freeze over before he left Dewey behind.

He wasn’t smart, like Huey, either.

But he was street smart.

And that was why he was able to figure everything out. 

He kept walking, staggering slightly with Dewey on his back. He walked and walked, until he saw a figure in the mist. The closer he got, the better he could see. 

It was the Tea Lady. 

He smirked to himself. “Thought you’d show up.”

The Tea Lady smiled. “You know I’m the Guardian?”

“It was obvious. It just took me a bit to see it.”

“You’re a sharp kid.”

Louie knew that. 

“So?” the Tea Lady asked, “What are you going to do now?”

Louie also knew that he had a good tongue. He could ignite the fire of emotion in anyone, could make them do whatever he wanted, even change their entire mindset. 

All he had to do was talk. 

And that was just what he was gonna do. 

“I want to negotiate.”

-

The hum of the wind was what woke Dewey up. Groggily, he opened his eyes. He rubbed the sleep out of them, stretching his arms above his head. 

There was a seatbelt on him. He was in the car.

“It’s late. You can go back to sleep if you want.”

Dewey turned. Louie was in the driver’s seat next to him, his eyes on the road. 

Dewey looked out the window. He could see the night sky. There was no mist, or maze, or village. Just the stars and the open road. 

“What...what happened?” he asked, confused. Then he gasped, “Huey?!”

Louie grinned happily at him. “In the back,” he replied. 

Dewey whipped his head around. In the backseat, Huey was sitting awkwardly, sleeping like a baby. Safe and sound and here. 

Dewey sighed a breath of relief. Then he frowned and looked at Louie again, confused. 

“How—“

“I have my ways,” Louie told him, and that was all he said. 

And it was enough for Dewey. As far as he was concerned, all that mattered was that they had Huey back. 

It was quiet for a long moment, and Dewey was just about to close his eyes again when Louie spoke. 

“I meant it,” he started quietly, “when I said I was sorry.” 

Dewey listened closely. 

He made eye contact with Dewey briefly before needing to return his attention to the road. “You annoy me, but so does everyone else in this family. And I could never get sick of you. I...”

Louie cleared his throat, his beak turning red. 

“I lo...I... you know...”

Dewey smiled warmly. “Yeah. Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not sure how well this flows. Or if it makes sense. I was trying to make it mysterious, but maybe I left out too many details?? Please feel free to ask questions if you don’t understand something.
> 
> But  
> How Louie got his brothers back is up to the readers’ imagination. (Literally, because I don’t even know. Or do I? Hmm???)
> 
> I know. I’m not funny. It’s the effort that counts.
> 
> Fun Fact: ‘Suimin’ means ‘sleep’ in Japanese.
> 
> Thanks for reading!! (even if you didn’t like it, thank you anyways)


End file.
